


Haircut

by thronesecured (castlestormed)



Series: Love the Job [6]
Category: Subarashiki Kono Sekai | The World Ends With You
Genre: Gen, Haircuts, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-28
Updated: 2016-05-28
Packaged: 2018-07-10 18:34:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 653
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6999778
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/castlestormed/pseuds/thronesecured
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>While BJ nodded in assent, 777 noticed something odd.</p><p>"Dude, what’s up with the hood?"</p><p>Kariya, who rarely ever wore his prescription Reaper jacket, was wearing his prescription Reaper jacket. He sighed heavily, tugged the hood down low and grumbled two words: "Bad haircut."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Haircut

777 came into the lounge with his usual entreaties of yawning and complaining. "Man, 7:30AM time in? What is that! It’s not like we’ve got a Game runnin’."

He dragged a chair from the next table and sat down in the space between BJ and Kariya. While BJ nodded in assent, 777 noticed something odd.

"Dude, what’s up with the hood?"

Kariya, who rarely ever wore his prescription Reaper jacket, was wearing his prescription Reaper jacket. He sighed heavily, tugged the hood down low and grumbled two words: "Bad haircut."

"No way."

"Do I look like I’m kiddin’ around here?"

"Can’t be that bad, man."

"Yeah? You wanna bet on it?"

"Seriously? It’s only hair."

"This coming from a guy with a punk do."

"Shut up. It’s part of the image. You gonna show me or what?"

"I’m debating."

"Aw c’mon, K. Let’s see it. Who knows, maybe I can even help you out."

Kariya looked at him. 777 raised an eyebrow.

The harrier looked to the side, giving up, and slowly slipped the hood off his head. If he’d been looking, he would have seen 777’s eyes grow round.

"...wow."

"Got that right," Kariya said flatly, covering up the disaster. He slunk lower in his chair, which brought the hood back over his eyes.

"So... What'cha planning to do about it?" Seven asked curiously. He actually wasn't sure if Kariya was upset. The other Reaper's mood was a little different from the usual laidback 'tude that he often sported like hardworn badge, but Kariya had sounded more.... resigned than upset, if he had to guess, and given how lazy he was that hardly came as a surprise.

"For now?" Kariya paused as a yawn stretched his jaw. His next words confirmed 777's thoughts about how he felt about his current predicament: "Pretend to be one of you guys, I guess. Disappear into the ranks. See if anyone misses me."

777 snorted. He knew that Kariya had been offered a promotion recently. He also knew that this wasn't the first offer, nor would it probably be the last. He could understand why Kariya kept turning the offers down - some Reapers (himself included) were quite happy with where they were in the hierarchy. For 777, being a Harrier allowed for a flexible schedule that worked wonderfully with his pet passion project - his band, Def Marche. Being an officer would not have given him the time for it, even though it came with a pay raise, better living accommodations, and the chance to boss everyone around.

What Seven could not understand here was the fact that Kariya  _kept getting_  these offers even after he'd soundly turned them down. He had never heard of the higher ups being so persistent. Someone upstairs seemed to have it in their head that his friend had potential.

Whoever that was probably had a few screws loose because, supposed talent and potential aside, Kariya was the most unambitious Reaper 777 knew.

(All things considered, he wouldn't have been surprised if this was the same guy who thought that promoting that nutjob, Sho Minamimoto, was a good idea)

"Pft. Sure. Good luck with that," Seven said dismissively.

"You think I can't do it?"

"I think it would make an interesting bet." He poked a finger into Kariya's hood and deliberately yanked it off his head. "Can the laziest Reaper on the force go against his true nature and  _follow the rules_  for once, like a good little bottomfeeder?"

Koki Kariya laughed soundlessly, running a hand through the bright orange disaster sprouting from his scalp. "I'd do it for a week's worth of ramen."

"Only if you can pull it off for an entire Game. If you lose, you're gonna help me out with my new band," Seven announced with a smirk.

Kariya's eyes gleamed - nothing fired him up better than a good gamble. "What are the rest of your terms?"

**Author's Note:**

> chime in if you have any ideas about what might happen next 'cause i sure don't!


End file.
